1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a board or plank that inserts into a vehicle and is used to transport groceries and other items within the vehicle while holding the items being transported securely to the board. The board is provided with upwardly extending projections on its top side and handles of a grocery bag may be placed around these projections in order to hold the grocery bag upright during transport. The board is also provided with openings that are separated by upright members. An item that does not have handles may be secured to the board via ropes or straps that extend through the openings and engage both the item and at least one of the upright members, thus securing the item to the board. An alternate embodiment of the board is provided with one adjustable end. The adjustable end can be moved longitudinally outward from or longitudinally inward toward the opposite end to allow the alternate board to be adjusted in length to fit a variety of different sizes of vehicles and to facilitate insertion and removal of the alternated board from a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of devices have been made in order to allow a person to transport items, such as bags of groceries, in a vehicle in such a way that the items do not move around within the vehicle. However, most of these devices are designed to provide an enclosure in which the items being transported may be contained during transport. One of the problems with such enclosures is that even when items are placed within an enclosure provided within a vehicle, items such as bags of groceries can tip over and the contents of the bags may be spilled within the enclosure.
Another problem with an enclosure is that the enclosure does not hold the items stationary relative to the vehicle. Thus, when the vehicle turns a corner or quickly stops or starts, the items are often damaged as they are flung from one side of the enclosure to another. In the case of a bag of groceries, such uncontrolled movement within an enclosure can spill and damage fragile items, such as eggs, bread or produce.
Still other devices are designed to one or more upright members for securing items within the vehicle. Some of these items do not secure to the vehicle, and thus, these devices can move within the vehicle when the vehicle turns a corner or quickly stops or starts. These unsecured devices can also tip over and spill the contents of items such as bags of groceries that are secured thereto. Such movement of the upright member within a vehicle can result in damage to fragile items that are secured to the upright member.
For those devices that are provided with upright member and are secured to the vehicle, many are permanently attached to the vehicle and remain in place within the vehicle even when not in use. On the other hand, those devices that are removably secured within the vehicle are often difficult to remove from the vehicle and are large and awkward to store.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a device that has upwardly extending projections and has openings separated by upright members within the device for positively securing a wide range of items to the device. The present invention is a device that removably secures to the vehicle and holds items tightly thereto to prevent undesirable movement of the items relative to the vehicle. The present invention is a device that can be quickly and easily attached to or removed from a vehicle. Finally, the present invention is a straight, flat, one-piece device that can be stored in a small space when it is removed from the vehicle.